Tens of Thousands Commemorate Novi Sad Roof Collapse Victims | 16 Killed in Tragedy

Описание: Tens of thousands of people came to Novi Sad on Saturday (November 1) to remember 16 people killed when a renovated railway roof collapsed one year ago.

At exactly 11:52 a.m. local (1052 GMT), the time of the accident on November 1 2024, they held 16 minutes of silence to commemorate every single victim.

They then filed past the station entrance to lay flowers and light candles.

One of the main boulevards in Novi Sad, Serbia's second largest city, was packed with people who arrived by cars, buses and motorcycles.

Protesters held up large red hearts bearing the names of the collapse victims, clutched white flowers and laid wreaths in front of the railway station.

One mother, Dijana Hrka, who lost her only child in the accident, collapsed in tears as she lay flowers in front of the station.

Thousands of students walked up to 400 kilometres from their hometowns to protest at the government which they blame for the accident saying the shoddy construction of the roof was due to corruption and nepotism.

Government officials have denied such accusations.

Recently, President Aleksandar Vučić and parliament speaker Ana Brnabic, an ex-prime minister, said the roof collapse could have been an act of terrorism, a stance that infuriated critics of the government.

The tragedy touched off a largely peaceful, nationwide protest movement led by university students and professors that has shaken Vucic's 13-year grip on power.

Vucic, in an Instagram post, published a photo of himself in a church holding a candle at a commemoration ceremony in the capital Belgrade for the victims of the disaster.

"Let the names of those killed be a reminder that human life is above any divisions (in society)," Vucic wrote.

He said the government had designated November 1 as a day of national mourning.

#NoviSad #Serbia #RoofCollapse #Commemoration #BreakingNews #Tragedy #NationalMourning #AleksandarVucic #Protests #Corruption #StudentsProtest #RailwayAccident #SerbiaNews #PublicRemembrance #GlobalNews
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dawn News English is your window into the latest news, insight, and features from South Asia and beyond.

Official Facebook:   / dawndotcom  
Official Twitter:   / dawn_com  
Website: www.dawn.com
Official Instagram:   / dawnnewsenglish  

#news #latestnews #dawnnewsenglish #dawnnews